Track-laying car.



W. A. DARDEN.

TRACK LAYING CAR.

APPLIGATION FILED msm, 1914.

' Patented May 19, 1914.

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COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH co.,wAsHxNaroN. D. c.

W. A. DARDEN.

TRACK LAYING GAR.

APPLICATION FILED FBB.21, 1914:.v

1,097,006.y Patented May19,1914.

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VLLIAM ABNER DARDEN, 03? ANNISTON, ALABAMA.

TRACK-LAYING CAR.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

rar-enten nay 1a, 1914.

T all 10710712 if; may concern: v

Be it known, that I, WILLIAM ABNER DARDEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Anniston, in the county of Calhoun and State ofAlabama, have invented certain new and useful improvements inTrack-Laying Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of 'the invention, such'as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it ap- Apertains to make and use thesame.

rlhis invention relates to track laying rail cars, and has for itsobject to produce a car of this nature which will reduce the time aswell as the cost of laying down and of taking up track. y

A further obj ect is to produce a car which will be more simple inconstruction and more efficient in action than those heretoforeproposed.

lli/*ith these and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel details of construction and combinations of parts, more fullyhereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which like numerals designate like parts in all theviews-Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a rail car made inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of theparts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of theparts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. t is a detail plan view of one of therollers and its associated parts; and Fig. is a side view of the partsshown in Fig. d.

The center sill 1 built up of steel channels and plates runs throughoutthe length of the car midway between its sides, and its forward end isdropped down as indicated at 2 so as to be close to the ground. Neareach end of the center sill 1 is placed the body holsters 3 which arelocated at the middle above the trucks ll. rlhe holsters 3 are likewisebuilt up of steel channels and plates and they serve to support the caron the truck holsters. At the forward end and hetween the two holsters 3are placed additional holsters or bunks 5 which are also built up ofsteel channels and plates.

At each end of the body holsters 3 and of the two intermediate bungs 5are locatedthe short rollers 6, see Figs. 3, 4 and 5. rlhese saidrollers are preferably cone shaped at their ends nearest the center sill1, and are so placed that they are slightly above the surfaces of theholsters 3 and hunks 5. Long rollers 7 with coarse screw threads cast inthem are placed at the ends of the end bunk 8 which underlies thedepressed end 2 of the sill and'these said rollers likewise eX- tendslightly above the surface ofthe bunk 8. between the body holsters 3.The center sill 1 is supported hy the truss rods 10 passing under queenposts 11 and connected at the center by any suitable means as by turnbuckles 12, shown in dotted lines.

On the top of the center sill 1 and extending across the same are theI-beams 13 which I support other I-beams 14 and also two channels 15 asillustrated. T he channels 15 serve as guides for the transfer chains 16which pass over sprocket wheels 17 near each end of the car. 18represents a shaft provided with a gear wheel 19 meshing with a pinion20 mounted on the shaft 21 of the engine 22, so that power transmittedfrom the pinion 2O to the gear 19 will also be transmitted to thesprockets 17 through the shaft 18. rIhe engine 22 may be of any suitabletype and is preferably placed above the center sill 1 as illust-rated,and is operated by means of levers in the car 23, while-steam for thesaid engine may he taken from the locomotive not shown.

The cab 23 is provided with a seat and windows for the operator so thatthe progress of the track can be watched. Sill steps and grab irons arealso provided for convenience.

On each side of the car, between the holsters and bunks are placed gangplanks 25 for convenience in handling the ties and rails.

26 represents a box for tools, spikes, bolts and fish plates which isconveniently located below the center sill between the intermediatehunks. A coupler 27 fitted with yoke, springs, follower plates and cheekplates is placed at the rear end of the car.

The operation of the improved track laying car will be clear from theforegoing, but may be briefly summarized as follows: The locomotive notshown, is coupled directly to the car so that steam may he easilysupplied to the engine 22. The operator seated in the cab 23 controlsthe engine by means of the usual levers connected to the throttle valveand to the reversing link. The car having heen loaded with ties 30 andrails not shown, spikes, bolts, fish plates and all necessarytools isplaced with the forward truck close to the end of the track 31, when theengine Q2 is started so that the upper run of the transfer chain 1G willmove in a forward direction. 'Iies 30 are then rolled on to the chainand are carried forward by it as indicated in F ig. 2, when they will bedropped on the ground and then distributed along the track by the men.Then sufficient ties have been thus delivered the engine 22 is stopped.During this time one man on the gang plank 25 turns a rail and thusrolls it over onto the conical rollers 6. He then pulls it forward andwhen the center of the rail passes over the roller 6 on the bodyholsters 3 it overhalances, so that its forward end will drop on thehunk 8 at the forward end of the car and contact with the long roll 7. Acontinued pulling forward of the rail will cause its forward end to stopon the ties already on the ground, while its rear end is elevated andust beyond the end of the track 31. The locomotive then pulls the carhack, allowing the rail to roll on the roller 7 and finally drop it onthe ties. The coarse screw thread on the roller 7 moves the rail towardthe center of the track so that only a little handling is required tobrine' the rail in position where it may he spiked down and the fishplates bolted on. When this is accomplished the car is again run forwardand a length of rail on the other side is laid in the same manner. Inactual tests this car when operated hy eleven men, four lengths of rail,or sixty feet of track have been laid in twenty minutes. In using thiscar to take up a track, the operation is the reverse of that ustdescribed. That is to say, two men one on each side of the car stack theties as high as they can while the transfer chain 16 brings them in fromthe end ofthe car where they have been placed by other men taking themfrom the track. The ties of course are placed a little higher than theupper run of the transfer chain so that the latter can pass under themwithout jamming. In order to accomplish this strips, not shown, arepreferably placed on the I-heams 14 in order to raise the ties abovet-he chain. A convenient device for accomplishing this purpose is foundin short lengths of material hinged to the I-heams so that they may hedropped over the ends of the beams 13 when not in use for raising theties.

It will he seen that the holsters overlie the track and extend adistance beyond the beams supporting the conveyer chain, and thattherefore they furnish a convenient hed on which to stack rails, whilethe ties are located above the rails and in proximity to the conveyerchains. It will also be seen that since the center sill is depressed atits forward end the rails guided by the long rollers 7, as well as theties are conveniently delivered to the proper positions for placing onthe track.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction, as well as the arrangement of parts, without departingfrom the spirit of my invention and therefore I do not wish to helimited to the above disclosure except as may he requiredhy the claims.

What I claim is 1. In a track laying car provided with trucks thecombination of holsters supported by said trucks; a center sill providedwith a downwardly projecting end supported hy said holsters; a pluralityof beams supported by said sill; conveyor chains supported by saidbeams; sprockets over which said chains pass; means to rotate saidsprockets, and an additional holster located outside said trucks on lthesaid downwardly projecting end of said sill, substantially as described.

2. In track laying car provided with trucks the combination of holsterssupported hy said trucks; additional holsters located between saidtrucks; a center sill supported hy said holsters; truss rods extendinghetween said sill and said additional holsters; a plurality of beamssupported by said sill; conveyer chains supported by said beams;sprockets over which said chains pass; and means to rotate saidsprockets, substantially as described.

3. In a track laying car provided with trucks the combination ofholsters su )ported by said trucks; additional holsters located betweensaid trucks; a center sill supported by said holsters; truss rodsextending hetween said sill and said additional holsters; a plurality ofbeams supported by said sill; conveyor chains supported by said beams;sprockets over which said chains pass; means to rotate said sprockets;and rollers located on the ends of said holsters, substantially asdescribed.

al.. In a track laying car provided with trucks, the combination of acenter sill extending from end to end of the car; holsters locatedbetween said trucks and sill; additional holsters located beneath saidsill hetween said trucks; a holster located outside said trucks near theend of said sill; a plurality of beams terminating short of saidholsters and located above said sill; a conveyer carried by said beams;and rollers located on the ends of said holsters, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a track laying car provided with trucks, the combination of acenter sill extending from end to end of the car; and having adownwardly projecting forward end; holsters adapted to overhang thetrack located hetween said trucks and sill; additional holsters Vlocatedbeneath said sill between said trucks; a holster located outside saidtrucks near the downwardly projecting end of the said sill; a pluralityof beams terminating short of said holsters and located above said sill;I conveyer guides on said beams; a conveyer carried by said guides andbeams; and rollers located on the ends of said holsters, substantiallyas described.

6. In a track laying car provided with trucks; the combination of acenter sill eX- tending from end to end of the car; holsters locatedbetween said trucks and sill; additional bolsters located beneath saidsill between said trucks; a bolster located outside said trucks nearlthe end of said sill; a plurality of beams terminating short of said.holsters and located above said sill; a conveyer carried by said beams;rollers located on the ends of said holsters; an engine located on oneend of said sill; connections between said engine and said conveyer; andmeans to couple said car to a locomotive, substantially as described. 7.In a track laying car provided with trucks the combination of a centersill eX- tending from end to end oi said car and having a downwardlyprojecting forward end; an engine located on the rear end of said sill;holsters projecting beyond the track located beneath said sill and abovesaid trucks; additional holsters located between said trucks and beneathsaid sill g truss rods extendingbetween said sill and said additionalbolsters; rollers located on the overhanging ends of said holsters; aplurality of beams terminating short of said bolster-s located abovesaid sill; leaving a space on top or' said yholsters for theaccommodation of rails; conveyer guides located beneath said beams; anendless conveyer running in said guides; sprockets over which saidconveyer passes; connections between said sprockets and said engine; anda bolster provided with rollers on its ends located beneath thedownwardly projecting forward end of said sill, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a track laying car provided with trucks the combination of acenter sill eX- tending from end to end of said car and having adownwardly projecting forward end; an engine located on the rear end ofsaid sill; bolsters projecting beyond the track located beneath saidsill and above said trucks; additional bolsters located between saidtrucks and beneath said sill; gang planks extending ybetween saidholsters; truss rods extending between said sill and said additionalholsters; posts between. saidy truss rods and additional holsters;rollers located on the overhanoinof ends of said holstersa alu# C D 3rality of beams terminating short of' said bolsters located above saidsill, leaving la space on top of said bolsters for the accommodation ofrails; conveyer guides located on top of said beams; conveyer guideslocated beneath said beams; additional beams running longitudinally ofthe car located on the ends of said first mentioned beams outside ofsaid guides; an endless conveyer running in said guides; sprockets overwhich said conveyer passes; connections between said sprockets and saidengine; a. coupling carried by the eXtreme rear end of said sill iorconnecting said car to a locomotive; and a bolster provided with rollerson its ends located beneath the downwardly projecting forward end ofsaid sill, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l afliX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

VVLLIAM ABNElt DARDEN. Witnesses:

F. F. Donnino, WHITFIELD CLARK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

